When LWB first came to Detroit two years ago, we shuffled our Ideas Box – a mobile, pop-up library – to neighborhoods that were far-removed from the progress unfolding downtown. Using the Ideas Box as a convening space, we offered after school academic support and organized community workshops on topics of interest to local residents, which were often booked to capacity days before the event.

Recognizing that folks were hungry for opportunities to learn new skills, we piloted a peer-to-peer professional development program (“Learning Circles”) at various Detroit Public Library branches. In partnership with Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU), we harnessed the city’s existing resources to create spaces where community members could take free MOOCs (massive online open courses) to strengthen their professional development skills.